"Lina, what are you scared of?" Lina, Xellos, Gourry and Zelgadis were sitting in Lina's room, eating some leftovers from dinner.
"Why do you ask?" Lina took another swig from the wine bottle and giggled a bit as she passed it to Zel.
"Just curious. You seem like nothing bothers you." Xellos looked Lina straight in the eyes and waited for her answer.
"Being alone. I don't want to be alone." Her voice was soft as she said this, and after standing up, walked out the room.
Lina didn't to cry in front of the guys, she had already said too much.
As Lina walked in the garden, she was silently bitching at herself.
"How could I be so stupid. I must seem so weak to them. I worked too hard to appear invincible to them, but I ruined it in one shot." Lina sat in front of a lake, she wrapped her arms around her legs, as she brought her knees up to her chest.
Xellos followed Lina a few minutes later, and found her sitting by the lake. The moonlight had her in a spot light, and bathed in that light she looked like an innocent child.
"Lina ... " Xellos' soft voice caused her to turn around quickly.
"What do you want? To rub it in that I am weak?" Lina turned away from him, and went back to looking at the lake.
"No. That isn't what I came down here to do at all." This piqued Lina's interest.
"Then why did you follow me? Please, no secrets."
"I know what you feel."
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't matter if you fully understand it. Just know that you aren't the only one that is scared to be alone." With that Xellos faded out and left a very confused Lina sitting by the shore.
TWO WEEKS LATER
"XELLOS!! Get your twisted mazuka butt out here right now, or I swear I will Dragon Slave it out of Zelas' chambers for you!!!" A very pissed off Lina Inverse yelled at the sky for the Mazuka General.
"You called, Lina?"
"Yes I called you. Another dead end. When will you stop toying with us? I am tired of being the personal toy of Xellos Metalliam."
Lina had gone two days ahead of Gourry, Shyphiel, Amelia and Zel, so neither of them were there to referee the upcoming battle. Xellos opened his eyes and looked directly into Lina's unblinking ones.
"You're not a toy." Xellos voice was low as he told her this.
"Then what am I? A buffets table of emotions? You must be getting high off of the anger I am feeling right now."
"You are so much more to me. At first you were an assignment, but then you became more. Mazuka can love, Lina. They can fear. After all these hundreds of years I only fear two things. And I have only loved one."
"What is that?" Lina's voice was no more than a whisper as Xellos took a step closer to her.
"Being alone is one of them."
"You told me that before. What is the other thing you fear?"
"Losing you."
"Xellos, I..." Xellos didn't give her a chance to speak, as his mouth came down on hers. Gentle at first the kiss soon deepened into a fierce battle of passion.
"Xellos, do you think...well maybe....what I mean is...uh..." Lina's face turned ten shades of red as she tried to talk to Xellos.
"Now?" All he got was a nod out of her, and within the blink of an eye, they were in Xellos' bed chamber.
"Are you sure about this, Lina?"
"I never do anything I am not sure about."
"No, you never do, do you?" Xellos chuckled then quickly stopped when he felt the uncertainly in her.
"What is it? Regretting it already?"
"No...It's just that I've never...." Xellos placed a finger over her lips.
"I know. It's one of the reasons I love you so. There are so many spells I could teach you, but you already know them. This is one thing that I alone can show you for the first time."
"I won't have to become a mazuka, will I?"
"Not if you don't want to."
"Good. I like being one of the human race." She gave him a small unsure grin, and his cold heart melted at it.
"My sweet Lina. You are mine now." Xellos kissed her gently on the forehead and took her over to the bed, to teach her one of the most important lessons in life. [AN: My creativity is zapped, you can guess what he taught her and how many ways ^_^]
THE NEXT DAY
Xellos was leaning against a tree. His legs crossed at the ankles, one arm behind his head, and the other hand absently stroked the stray locks off of Lina's face as she slept. Her body curled up like a child. Her head in his lap, one hand rested lightly on his thigh, the other one resting on her own hip.
This was the scene that greeted Gourry, Shyphiel, Zelgadis and Amelia as they caught up to where Lina was.
"Mr. Xellos! What did you do to Miss Lina?" Amelia's accusing voice made Xellos look up from watching Lina.
"If she wants to, I'm sure she will tell you later." That was all Xellos said before looking back down at Lina and smiling as she sighed softly in her sleep.
"I still don't understand." Understanding of what Xellos was implying Shyphiel put her hand over Amelia's mouth and dragged her off into the woods.
"I'll explain it to you, Amelia." When Shyphiel said that, Zelgadis was the next to realize what had gone on between the mazuka and Lina. His face turned bright red, and he walked into the opposite direction that Amelia and Shyphiel had taken, dragging the still clueless Gourry with him.
A few minutes after the group departed Lina's eyes fluttered open. She looked up and smiled at Xellos.
"Hi."
"Hi yourself. Did you have a nice nap?" Xellos kissed her on the lips as she readjusted herself, so that she was on her back, one hand resting on her stomach, while the other held Xellos'.
"Sure did. How long was I out? I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."
"That's ok. You had a strenuous night...and morning if you recall." Xellos chuckled a little at the faint blush that crossed her cheeks.
"Xellos..."
"Yes, love?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Lina." Lina sat up and straddled Xellos, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss.
Xellos wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him, as she wrapped her fingers in his purple hair.
Their time together was cut short when a scream wad heard from the woods.
"THEY DID WHAT?!!?"
"Xellos.....Sweetie, love. Something you want to tell me?"
"The others arrived when you were sleeping. They asked me what I had done to you, and I said you would tell them if you felt like it. Shyphiel, I assume, just told Amelia what I meant by that." Xellos' explanation was short when a yell was heard from the other side of the forest.
"LIGHT COME FORTH!"
"And that would be Zelgadis telling Gourry what happened." Lina only groaned and buried her face in the crook of Xellos neck.
"I don't understand the emotions coming from you. Are you ashamed of what we did?" Lina sat up and placed her hands on either side of Xellos' face, forcing him to look at her.
"I am not ashamed of what we did. I wouldn't trade a minute of what we did for anything, not all the treasure or spells in the world."
"Then what is it?"
"I wanted to tell them. When you tell them things...well they seem to take it to the extremes, but what's done is done. I just wish I could have seen their faces." Lina gave a little giggle, before she gave Xellos a quick peck on the lips.
LATER THAT NIGHT
After dinner the group was divided: Girls on one side Boys on the other.
On the Girls side:
"Lina, how did it happen?" Amelia asked Lina this as the three girls sat down.
"Well we were arguing, then we weren't and it just felt right, so it happened."
"Did it hurt?" Amelia was also the one that asked this.
"Only for a little while." Lina started to get uncomfortable as to where Amelia's questions were going.
"Was he good then?"
"Amelia! Why don't you get some more wood for the fire. Ok?"
"Fine." Amelia went off to get some wood, and Lina sent Shyphiel a grateful look.
"Thanks Shyphiel."
"No problem. Can I ask you a question?"
"I don't see why not." Lina closed her eyes.
"Do you love him?" Shyphiel's simple question caused Lina to look at the girl.
"With all my heart."
"Then I am happy for you. I'll try to get the boys off of Xellos' case."
"You are one in a million Shyphiel." Shyphiel gave a gasp of surprise as the smaller woman gave her a warm embrace.
Same time. On the Boys side:
"Are you just playing games with her?" This came from Gourry.
"If you hurt her I swear you will be wishing that you were never born." This threat was by Zelgadis.
"Is this another one of your sick little mind games? Lina is...was..an innocent girl. It was more than a conquest, right?" This one was again by Zelgadis, followed by another from Gourry.
"You aren't worthy of her, and if I ever see her cry because of something you did, I swear that you will have a light sword so far up your ass that you will be able to see it through your eye sockets."
Xellos held his hands up into the air a sign of defeat.
"I am not playing games with her. It is so much more than a conquest, and I never want to make her cry. She makes me feel like I haven't felt in centuries. I know I don't deserve her. No one deserves to have their own angel, but for a brief moment I will have one."
"What do you mean a brief moment?" Zelgadis' eyes once again had a suspicious glint in them.
"What I mean is that unless she wants to become a mazuka, she will grow old and die."
"You will never make her take that will you?" Gourry asked the Trickster Priest this.
"No, it is all up to her." Xellos lifted his head as he heard Shyphiel approach their side.
"Ah, the Priestess, come to throw threats at me?"
"No, just a question."
"Fire away."
"Do you love Lina?"
"Yes. No secrets there. I love her with all my heart and soul."
"Gourry, Zelgadis, leave Xellos alone. Lina and Xellos are happy and in love. We should be supportive." Xellos shot Shyphiel a grateful look as she said this and drug the blond swordsman to another part of the camp. Zelgadis gave one last glare at Xellos before he also walked off to get some rest. After ten minutes of sitting there in silence, Lina walked over to him.
"How did your interrogation go?" Xellos smiled a little before answering.
"Sora wa himistsu desu!" He laughed as Lina punched him lightly in the arm.
"Do you think that we will always be as happy as we are now?" Lina looked up at Xellos as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I don't know. All I know is that with you here, I am no longer alone." Saying that Xellos spread his cloak on the ground, and the two of them fell asleep in each others arms. Not a care in the world, save for the love they had for each other, neither alone, always together. No secrets, no games, no lies, only love......
Look I did it. A Lina/Xellos fic that had a happy ending. Didn't think I could do it did ya ;)